Infection Control in the Dental Office

I am the daughter and granddaughter of dentists. Together, they practiced at the same location for more than 80 years. I remember a time when dentists worked with their bare hands and no mask. I guess it is inevitable that as a clinical microbiologist I would continue to be interested in how infection control practices have evolved since those “good old days.” This article addresses 21st century infection control guidelines. Oral surgeons now place titanium implants into bone, and there is extensive literature addressing how dental care practitioners need to protect themselves, their staff, and patients from a variety of infectious diseases no one knew existed in the early 1900s. In fact, the history of infection control from the 1920s to now is probably also the history of the discovery of new infectious diseases, especially hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus infections.